Higher Ed Works Social Media Game

5 ways higher ed’s social media use has changed from 2015 to 2016

If 2015 was the year colleges and universities began using social media like any other media-savvy millennial, 2016 is the year of refinement and targeted purpose. From a surge in ‘Pay to Play’ and post curation to new measures of determining success, higher education is becoming a social media leader.

Our take

Getting Strategically Social!

Social media use is becoming more common, and more strategic, on college campuses as universities find practical applications for these perennially popular millennial communication tools. At least that’s what one recent study indicates. The CASE, Huron Education and mStoner, Inc., study, based on responses from more than 1100 CASE members, identifies some significant shifts in use over just the past year. What best practice insights could help you better engage with the digital generation?

The key shifts identified in this study include a move toward more use of paid placements; growing use of visual images and video, with an increase in use of visually-oriented channels like Instagram; a shift from fundraising as a focus to a focus on engagement; and more selectivity in terms of the channels, methods and messages used to connect with key audiences. We wrote about the use of social media in education last year and have remained on top of these shifts as schools take a more strategic approach to their online communications.

RELATED ARTICLES

Administrators are invested in student success, but how well do they know students? The Shadow a Student Challenge encourages administrators to get out among their students to gain a better understanding of how their students experience education.

What better way is there to engage students with STEM than with a trip to the White House to meet the president and showcase wide achievements in STEM? What other events can we host to create student buzz around STEM?